Personality assessments are the 21st century equivalent of smokey basement 1920’s fortune tellers. Come into my room, dearies, answer a few mundane questions and (for a few greenbacks) I shall look into my crystal ball and tell you your past, present, and future.
And I’m a sucker for ‘em (assessments, not fortune tellers!)
However, most assessments address personality as if it is fixed and unchanging. You’re an introvert, and therefore you will always be an introvert. And it doesn’t take into consideration that people behave differently with different people and in different situations. And that’s why I love DiSC.
The DiSC assessment sorts people into 4 groups: Hogwarts, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff. (Sorry, wrong blog)
Unlike other assessments, these are all behavior traits rather than personality traits. That’s important because behavior (unlike personality) can be modified. I might never become a quiet introvert, but I absolutely can shut up and listen if I'm meeting with someone who is quieter than I am. DiSC has helped me, as a PM, identify when I need to be mindful about my regular style and change my default behaviors.
DiSC has helped me, as a PM, identify when I need to be mindful about my regular style and change my default behaviors.
Product Managers are most frequently asked to behave in a “D” way -- Self confident, decisive, action and results-oriented. It means when I’m running a kickoff, my talk track is lively, exciting, and has clear goals laid out. This is typically easy for me, because I’m mostly a “D” anyways!
Yet, not every situation calls for a D behavior. In my 1:1s with engineers (frequently “C” people), I try to match their C style -- “What about the plan that I laid out at the kickoff is not right?” Or with Customer Support (frequently “S” people) -- “What kind of documentation can I provide to ensure a seamless launch for everyone?” or with Marketing (frequently “I” people) - “Go for it!”
Knowing the DiSC’s of the people on my team, and the predominant DiSC of the company culture too, has helped me change my behavior to avoid conflict and I hope it helps you too!
P.S.
Here’s my DiSC!
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